Season of Madness
by Alexis.Austin83
Summary: Don and Charlie get mixed up in the drama of the Terrinova family once again. This time everyone may not survive.
1. Chapter 1

Don't own any of them except for the Terrinova family. They've been my playthings in my original fiction for many years. This is the sequel to Paragon of Madness. You don't need to read it first, but it might help.

Most of the 'mistakes' in grammar are intentional. I tend to write the way people actually speak and we all know that in everyday life we tend to let the grammar slide.

**Chapter One**

Sasha Terrinova was angrier than she had ever been at Francesco Mancini or Samantha. How dare someone think that they could attack her partner and not pay for it. How dare her father ban her from the case that had gotten her partner hurt in the first place. Johnny was in the hospital and instead of letting her pull her resources and go after the men that had put him there, Cruz had pulled her off the case and placed her on a mandatory leave. Being the daughter of the director of the agency seemed to have its perks in the beginning. However, Sasha was now seeing that he could be too involved in her work.

A year after she had found herself bleeding to death in the Eppes garage, Sasha's life had taken some drastic turns. The discovery that her father was not a major player in California organized crime, but was indeed the head of a special ops branch of the CIA was enough of a change. She had moved into their home in Santa Barbara and relished getting to know her true parents and her siblings. Joining the agency was not planned, but she had been happy working as a field agent and helping her country with her specialized knowledge – until today.

She spent an hour seething with anger before the beginning of a plan began to form in her head. She had other resources outside of her family and the agency. She would reach out to them. Resigned, she packed a bag and climbed into her car. It was less than a two hour drive to Los Angeles.

She almost didn't answer when her cell phone began to ring just as she drove across the city limits.

"What do you want Robyn?"

"Is that any way to greet your sister?" The voice on the other end of the line demanded.

"It is when I'm angry." Sasha didn't miss a beat.

"Where are you?"

"Why don't you get your husband to trace my cell phone so you'll know where I am. Oh, you can't because he's in the hospital recovering."

"Sasha, please."

"Please what Robyn? Sit back and do nothing to find the people that hurt John? That's what Dad has ordered me to do."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find someone to help me."

"Help you do what? Take revenge? Johnny is going to be okay."

"Dad suspended me today. For my own good he says. I should take some time and relax while John is in the hospital recovering. The bottom line is that Dad doesn't trust me to do my job. That's what hurts."

"You've got it wrong Sasha. Dad is trying to do what he couldn't do when you were a kid. He's trying to protect you."

"Robyn, look. All I want to be able to do is help track down the guys that shot your husband – my partner. I thought that I got this job because of my skills. Not because my father is the director. He proved to me today what he really thinks about me and this job. Maybe – maybe I really don't belong in the agency."

"Sasha, they've always just wanted to protect you. Look at his side for a minute. Dad searched for you for years. He and Mom were not the same after you were kidnapped. When they got that call from the FBI saying that you were alive and told them where you were – they both got that spark back. The one that died while you were gone. Of course you can do this job. Of course your skills are what helps you to be successful at it. But he's also a parent that lost his child. He just doesn't want to loose you again."

The tears came from nowhere. She quickly wiped them away. "I just need some space right now. Living at the manor with them has been great. I – tell them I'm going to see a friend. I'll call when I get a hotel room."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. Robyn, I love you. I promise I'll call later."

"If you don't I'm tracking you down."

"You're a nurse not an agent."

"Yeah, I'm also a mother. It's instinct to protect your family." Robyn stated. "Love you too Sis."

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Hey Dad. Where's Charlie?" Don asked as he pulled the front door closed.

"In the solarium. He has a guest."

"A guest? Since when is Larry a guest. I thought he was an extended member of the family."

"It's not Larry."

"Oh yeah? I thought Amita wasn't coming back from Harvard for a couple of more years?"

"It's not Amita." Alan smiled.

"But it is a girl? Does he know what to do with one?" Don smirked as he removed his jacket and tie.

"Do you? If you don't that would explain my conspicuous lack of grandchildren." Alan looked up from his crossword puzzle. "Perhaps I could explain it to you again."

"Very funny old man. So, who's he got out there?"

"Someone I found hanging out in the garage a while back. Sasha came to visit him today."

"Yeah? How's she doing?"

"Why don't you go ask her. She mentioned wanting to speak with you about something."

Don was amused when he entered the room to find Charlie excitedly explaining some theory to Sasha and she jumped in and started relating the theory to a physics project she had once worked on. They both enjoyed the world of academia more than Don ever had.

"What's going on in here?" Don smiled as he entered the room.

"Hi Don." Sasha moved to give him a quick hug in greeting. "Are you still catching all the bad guys in Los Angeles?"

"We're trying. So, what's going on with you?" He questioned.

"I'm just taking a few days off. I thought I would come hang out in LA for a while and I couldn't come all the way out here and not visit the family that saved my life."

"Dad said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"After dinner. We can talk about that after dinner. Your father invited me to stay." Don thought he saw a flash of something cross her face before she caught herself and continued. "Your brother and I were discussing -"

"Yeah some theory the both of you have applied to practical situations before. That's all I need to know. Listen, it's good to see you. I'm just going to help Dad set the table. I'll see you guys in a few."

"Don's right. It is really good to see you. I didn't think we would after you moved to Santa Barbara."

"It's been eighteen months since all of that went down. I have changed so much since then. My life has changed so much since then." She frowned. "I didn't realize how much I missed school until I went there and saw you today – teaching and being so enthusiastic about your subject. It makes me think that maybe I did the wrong thing."

"The wrong thing? Being with your family is the wrong thing?" Charlie was confused.

"No. I joined the CIA almost a year ago. I think maybe it was the wrong thing to do. Maybe I was just trying to gain my father's approval by involving myself in the agency that he has dedicated his life to."

"You don't really believe that. Do you?"

"I don't know what to believe right now."

"Then I suggest you don't make any life altering decisions until at least after dinner." Charlie smiled at her.

"Do you think that I could sit in on one of your classes again tomorrow?"

"If you think you can keep up."

"If I think I can keep up? Someone has a very high opinion of themselves there, Professor. Maybe I need to bring you down a notch or two. After all, I am a Doctor. Maybe you heard about the child genius part as well? One of the youngest brightest minds at CalSci. Any of this ring any bells with you?"

"Yes. I does. I was just trying to remind you of it as well."

After dinner was over, Don followed Sasha outside to contemplate the koi pond. She seemed to grow more melancholy as the evening progressed.

"Are you ready to talk about it now?"

"Last week my partner and I were were working the disappearance of two high profile scientists. We had tracked them to a biogenics lab outside of Geneva. Johnny was wounded during the failed extraction. He was shot twice." Don waited, sensing there was more. After a minute she continued. "My father decided that I needed to be pulled off the case, that if I was involved in tracking the guys down that shot John, that I would do something stupid to get revenge. So he suspended me – for my own good. Johnny he's more than just my partner. He's my sister's husband. He's family. I can't help but take that seriously. Am I making any sense here?" She was frustrated.

"Your father took his daughter off of a case where he felt like she was in danger. This daughter means a great deal to him especially because of the time they spent apart. Time that he couldn't be part of her life. When he couldn't protect her. And now that he has some control over her safety and welfare, he is taking it to the extreme. That about cover it?"

"Pretty much." She sighed. "My sister told me the same thing that you just told me and for some reason it's more reasonable when you say it."

"Yeah well, older siblings do tend to make a lot of sense."

"Why I get the impression that your brother would disagree with you."

"No he wouldn't. The kid's a genius you know."

"Thanks for listening. I think I'm going to head back to the hotel now. Tell Charlie I'll see him tomorrow. Okay?"

"Yeah. Sure. Be safe." Don watched as she headed out to her car and drove off.

Charlie had been watching from the window as Sasha and Don finished their conversation and he waited patiently for his brother to come back inside.

"Is she okay?"

"She will be. I think she's been through a lot in the past couple of years and she has some hard decisions to make."

"Her father, do you know anything about him?" Charlie questioned.

"He does his job very well." Don offered. "And I think he 'd do just about anything to protect her."

"As any father would." Alan piped up.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"You are an amazing teacher, Charlie." Sasha complimented as they walked across campus the next afternoon.

"It's been nice to have you back here the last couple of days. Thank you for coming today. You kept me on my toes."

"I've been afraid to ask, but where is Amita? I thought the two of you would be married by now."

"She's gone. To Harvard for several years. It wasn't meant to be."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I've come to terms with it."

"I'd like to come to terms with some lunch." She changed the subject. "Are you up for it?"

"Sure. Let's go."

They both enjoyed the lunch hour and each other's company and were headed back to campus when Sasha spotted a dark SUV following them.

"Hey Charlie, why don't you do me a favor and call your brother. Tell him where we are and explain that a dark blue Ford Expedition is following us. Let me know when you're ready to give him the plate number."

"Sasha,"

"Please Charlie, do it now."

Those were the last words Charlie would hear before the sound of two gunshots and Sasha's scream as she lost control of the car. The car was on it's second flip when he finally blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Dad." Don had been watching his father for a few minutes from the doorway of Charlie's hospital room. Alan had yet to move or even blink until Don said had softly called to him.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you're having some pretty deep thoughts there." Don moved into the room and dropped into the other chair.

"The Doctor says he'll be fine."

"You seem very worried for someone that has been assured of that fact. Come on Dad, what's going on?"

"I just wish he would wake up. It's been hours."

"You know the tests came back okay but he hit his head pretty hard when the car rolled. That's why he's still asleep."

"None the less, I will feel better when he opens his eyes." Alan continued after a minute. "Do you realize how strange it is to receive a phone call about your son being in a car accident when you know very well that he rode his bike to work that morning?"

"No. But I do know that Charlie will be awake any minute." Don assured him.

"He's already awake." Charlie groaned. "What happened?" He tried to sit up.

"Take it easy buddy. You just try to relax." Don pushed him back down on the bed.

"What about Sasha?"

"You both got lucky on this one. She's a little bit more bruised than you are – I think she ended up with some stitches. Her mother is with her now."

"Did you get the guys that shot at us?"

That question stunned the FBI agent. "What guys? Charlie, are you saying that someone shot at you?"

"Yeah. That's why we crashed. Didn't Sasha tell you? There was a dark blue SUV following us. I heard two shots and then Sasha lost control of the car. It flipped at least two times that I remember."

"She hasn't been conscious yet." Alan informed his younger son.

"When can I get out of here?" Charlie questioned.

"Tomorrow morning at the earliest." Alan repeated what the doctor had told him earlier.

"Why can't I go home now?"

"Because the doctor says you need to stay here and let them keep an eye on you overnight."

Charlie thought about arguing for a full minute before turning toward his brother. "Don, please check on Sasha for me?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I can do that for you. Try to get some rest. I'll be back in a little while."

Don exited his brother's room and hit the speed dial to contact David. He answered on the first ring. "David, do me a favor and have Sasha's car gone over by forensics. Charlie says there were shots before the accident."

"He doing okay?"

"He's a little out of it right now, but he'll be fine. I'm going to see if Sasha's woken up yet."

"Sure Don. I'll call you as soon as I know anything."

Don stopped short outside of Sasha's hospital room. He was surprised to hear raised voices from inside. It wasn't long before the woman he recognized as Sasha's mother made an appearance in the hallway. She seemed flustered.

"Agent Eppes. I'm sorry. I almost ran over you." The lovely redhead apologized.

"It's alright. How's she doing?"

"She's just as stubborn as ever. She's threatening to sign herself out AMA." Katherine Terrinova was obviously irritated.

"Charlie's not so happy about having to stay either. How long do they want to keep her?"

"A couple of days. She's got three fractured ribs, thirty-five stitches and a fairly good concussion. She needs to stay here and rest."

"Would you mind if I spoke with her for a minute?"

"Go ahead. Maybe she'll be cooled off by the time I get back." Katherine smiled as she turned to walk down the corridor.

Don pushed the door open and was shocked to see Sasha trying to get out of bed. "Hey, what's going on in here?"

"Don, please. I know you will understand. I have to get out of here. Someone tried to kill me and almost took Charlie down too. I know this has to do with what happened to John."

"So Charlie was right. He did hear gunfire." Don helped her back into bed.

"Yes." She sighed, defeated it seemed.

"What did you father say when you told him?"

"He wants me to come back to Santa Barbara with my mother. That way he can keep tabs on me."

"And what do you think you can accomplish if you leave the hospital like this? You need to stay here and follow doctor's orders." When he could see the mutiny in her eyes, he continued. "You just happen to have a friend with the FBI. His brother was involved in this car crash today and it seems that witnesses reported shots fired at the scene. I understand that this agent is looking into the details of what happened. Would you know anyone that might be interested in any updates on this incident?"

She thought about it for a minute before looking him in the eyes again. "Just promise me that you won't keep anything from me."

"I would hope that you know by now that I don't function that way."

"Don, I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I wouldn't have come here if I had any idea."

"You don't have to apologize for this. What you need to do is get some rest. I might need some backup on this accident investigation." He grinned before adding - "You might want to consider giving your mother a break. She's only trying to help you."

"If she really wanted to help me, she'd sign me out so I can rest in my hotel room." Sasha was clearly frustrated.

"How can she sign you out unless she's -"

"My mother is a medical doctor. She could do anything for me outside the hospital that they can do here."

"Give her a break, kid. She's a mother that's worried about her daughter."

"You have got to stop making so much sense, Eppes." Sasha seemed tired all of the sudden. "I'm still not going back to Santa Barbara." He eyes closed.

"Have a good sleep." He pulled the door closed as he left the room.

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Don had not seen the red Lexus at the scene of the accident. He had imagined that he knew what the car had looked like after rolling three times and landing upside down against a telephone pole, but the pictures in the file that David had placed on his desk were one of the scariest things that he had ever seen. In his most vivid imagination, Don had no idea how two full sized adults could have made it out of the vehicle alive with relatively minor injuries. It was nothing short of a miracle.

The report reflected that two bullets had taken out the tires on the driver's side of the vehicle. One of them had been recovered from the under carriage of the car, and it was being examined now.

"How's your brother and his friend doing?" Megan interrupted his thoughts.

"They are both camped out at Casa Eppes. My Dad and Sasha's mother are currently catering to both of the invalid's needs. I think he's having a field day doing it."

"So, what's up with the car crash?"

"Well, it was not an accident. Sasha's convinced that this has to do with her partner getting shot. All I know right now is that there were two shots fired at the car and two tires were blown."

"What are the odds that they would be alive after being pulled out of that?" Megan had picked up one of the photos of the car.

"I'm sure Charlie could tell you." Don sighed. "I don't know how far into this I can get before I step on the toes of the CIA."

"Not very far Agent Eppes." Two young men had entered the room and had obviously overheard at least part of his conversation. "I'm Michael Brennan. This is Frankie Martinez. We work with Sasha."

"Director Terrinova sent us to speak with you on behalf of CX-5." Martinez spoke up.

"And this conversation couldn't be had over the phone?" Megan wondered out loud.

"It could have taken place on the phone, but we also brought some things for Katherine. The Director wanted us to touch base with you while we were here playing courier." Brennan informed them.

"You've come to warn us off pursuing an investigation." Don assumed.

"Actually, we've come to debrief you and ask for your cooperation between our two agencies."

"Yeah? Why is that?"

"Because this investigation has blossomed into something that we didn't anticipate." Michael stated and glanced at his partner before continuing. "And we're not exactly sure that Sasha was the intended target."

"What are you talking about? Are you trying to tell me that whoever did this was trying to kill Charlie?" Don demanded.

"We aren't sure at this point. We're still waiting for word from a couple of our sources." Martinez tried to placate him.

"That's it. Megan, would you escort both of these gentlemen into that interview room? The two of you are going to tell me exactly what's going on here and you're going to tell me now. If I even begin to think that you two are feeding me a line of BS, I will get your boss on the phone." Don was seething as he followed them into the room. "I want to know everything that your agency knows and I want to know it now."

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

"Sasha, was a good natured baby." Katherine was answering Alan's latest question about her daughter. "It seems like she never cried about anything."

"You have yourself an exceptional young woman there." Alan complemented.

"That she is. I missed out on so many years with her. It was such a miracle to have her brought back into our lives." Katherine looked a little sad. "My husband, he was crushed when Sasha vanished. They were at the park, close to our home. Cruz had all four of the kids with him. Robyn, our oldest, had fallen and scraped her knee. When he was finished drying her tears, he noticed that Sasha was gone."

"You are a mother of four? I have even more respect for you. Our two boys kept us on our toes twenty-four, seven. I just don't think that we could have handled four."

"I think that I drew my energy from my children. Watching them grow, helping them to learn, that made me feel like I could conquer the world. I still don't know how we managed to produce an award winning physicist." She grinned.

"I think that people like your daughter and Charlie are born into families that can provide them with the balance they need in their lives. We're here to keep them grounded and help them to realize that life is to be lived and not spent inside their heads."

11111111111111111111111

"So, do you think that we should be afraid of what those two are talking about?" Sasha asked as she and Charlie watched their respective parents conversing from a safe distance.

"I wouldn't stress about it too much. At least they're taking a break from hounding us for the moment." He pointed out.

"For the moment. I'm sure one or both of them will be back at any moment with pills or soup of something." She closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into the couch. "How's your head?"

"Not hurting as bad as I'm sure yours is. Next time we go somewhere in your car, you have to remember to keep it right side up."

"Like there will be a next time. The car is toast."

"So, I'm sure that your insurance covers accidents caused by bullets. Right?" He joked as he was typing away on his laptop.

"I suppose I'll be finding out soon." She opened her eyes. "How long do you suppose it will be before I stop feeling nauseas?"

"I don't know. Why don't you break down and ask your mother. She is a highly qualified medical doctor, from what I understand." He teased her.

"Like I'm going to admit something like that to her. She'll probably drive me back to the hospital." She pushed back the blanket and started the process of getting up from the couch. Charlie thought she seemed disoriented.

"Do you need something? I can get it for you." He offered.

"This is something I have to do for myself, but thank you Professor."

When Alan and Katherine came through the living room ten minutes later, Sasha still had not returned from the restroom. Katherine immediately went to check on her.

The Eppes men were startled a minute later when Katherine demanded that one of them call an ambulance. Sasha was on the floor, semi-conscious, shaking with convulsions.

It was Alan that made it to the phone and called for the emergency vehicle. All three of them were quite shaken as the young woman that had a special place in each of their hearts seemed to become more ill by the minute.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Don waited impatiently as Martinez hooked up his MacBook Pro and accessed the file he would need to share with the two Feds in the room. Brennan stood up as his partner finished and began to explain the case that CX-5 had been working for seven months to date. The faces of eleven men and women of all ages, nationalities, and backgrounds appeared in sequence.

"The disappearance of Christoph Meuller sent up a red flag at the agency. He is one of the top geneticists on the planet. Two months later, Rodion Prokofiev was abducted from his home in Tver. His area of expertize is also genetics." Brennan continued to narrate the pictures that dominated the screen. "Since then nine more scientists – all top in their fields have vanished or been abducted from their homes or offices. Leaders in math, physics, genetics, and then – and then we finally got a lead on the first two scientists. We sent Agents Brennan and Terrinova in to retrieve them from Geneva." Michael didn't miss the question that crossed both Don and Megan's faces when he threw out his own surname. "Agent Jonathan Brennan is my brother." He informed them.

"You guys really like to keep it in the family over there, don't you?" Megan smirked.

"You have no idea." Michael continued, "Agent Brennan was wounded on that mission. It was not successful. Two days later, we recovered the bodies of both scientists. We were working a new angle on the case when we came across surveillance photos from LAX. Photos of this man – Christian Androssi. He is a known terrorist that specializes in biological weapons. Diseases that have no cure. We know he's working on something huge and we think that this man is his next target." Don was sure that his heart stopped when a picture of his brother popped up on the screen. "We already have a team watching him, Agent Eppes." Michael read the panic on Don's face.

"What evidence do you have that Charlie is the next target?" Megan asked.

"A traffic cam picked up shots from the his and Sasha's accident. Androssi was the driver of the dark blue SUV that was following them." Martinez informed them.

"If you guys knew he was at the airport, why didn't you pick him up then?" Don demanded.

"I think you know the answer to that. This is part of an ongoing investigation. We are trying to track down all of the key players in this as well as the rest of the missing scientists."

"You indicated that Androssi has already abducted at least one mathematician, why would he need another?" Megan questioned.

"Because the body of the woman he had taken was found three days ago. We're thinking he needs a replacement." Martinez took up answering questions as Brennan's cell phone rang.

"This is crazy. You're telling me my brother may be a target because he's a math geek?" Don was visibly frustrated. "Why wasn't I informed about this sooner?"

"I'm sorry guys, we need to get to the hospital." Michael announced as he shut his phone. "Your father and brother are on their way there. Sasha started having convulsions and was transported by ambulance. Katherine is with her. Your family is driving there now, Agent Eppes."

ILOVENUMB3RSILOVENUMB3RSILOVENUMBERS

"Charlie, would you please sit. Your pacing isn't going to make them come out here and let us know how she is any sooner than they would if you just sit down and relax." Alan requested of his son for the second time in the past ten minutes.

"She seemed fine. I just don't understand." Charlie sounded a little lost.

"These things just happen sometimes, Son. I am sure that Katherine will be out here to update us very soon. Now, sit."

"I just can't right now. I'm going to take a walk." Charlie announced and took off down the long corridor.

Alan went back to pretending that he was interested in the outdated fishing magazine that he had picked up upon their arrival to the waiting room. This was how Don and Megan found him when they arrived several minutes later.

"Dad, where's Charlie?" Don's tone was harsher than he intended but he failed to apologize.

"Well hello to you too Don." Alan chided.

"Where is he? Did he come here with you?" Don was about to panic. "They told me he was with you."

"What are you getting so worked up about? He went for a walk just a minute ago. He was driving me crazy pacing. What's going on?"

"Don't just a little upset about a case that just fell into our laps, Alan. What direction did Charlie take off in?" Megan asked.

Alan was bemused by his son's behavior and even more so when both agents took off after he indicated the direction that Charlie had taken.

Don couldn't remember the last time that he had been this worried about his brother. To suddenly be informed that he was in danger from some crazy terrorist seemed surreal to Don at best. He and Megan spent the next fifteen minutes searching for the wayward professor to no avail Megan could see that her partner was close to loosing it when she suggested they try the next floor down. Leaving no route unchecked, they took the stairs down one floor and nearly tripped over Charlie, who had been sitting at the bottom of the steps.

"Charlie, what the hell are you doing sitting here?" Don demanded.

"Why are you so angry?" Charlie was confused. "And what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry Charlie. Your brother's just happy to see you." Megan pulled Charlie to his feet and shot Don a look. "Let's go see if we can get an update on Sasha."

This time it was his oldest that was driving him crazy pacing. Charlie seemed to have settled down although he kept giving Don strange looks. Alan knew something was going on with Don, but he knew that this wasn't necessarily the time to question him about it. Then there was the mystery of the two men that had entered the waiting room shortly after Don and Megan had taken off after Charlie. Neither of them had spoken but it was obvious that they were connected to whatever was happening with Don.

Katherine appeared a short time later and was startled to see two familiar faces from home. "Michael, when did you two arrive?" She questioned Agent Brennan.

"We arrived this afternoon. Cruz sent us with a care package for you and we had business to discuss with the FBI." He rattled off the barest of explanations. "How is she?"

Katherine took a deep breath and blew it out. "She's suffering complications from the concussion. They're running a new CAT scan now. If you'll excuse me, I need to call my husband."

Having overheard the conversation, Don seemed to make a decision and he addressed his father and brother. "Hey guys, it sounds like Sasha's going to be here a while and she's got plenty of support here. I really need to get the both of you back to the house. Please." Don begged with his eyes when he saw that Charlie was going to argue with him. "I promise I will explain everything when we get there."

Sensing that Don needed them to agree, Alan and Charlie let themselves be escorted out of the hospital and into Don's SUV for the trip home.

"Megan, I've got Colby and David and two other teams setting up security around the neighborhood tonight. I'm going to need you to get with Brennan and Martinez. Profile this lunatic for me. We need to get up to speed on this now."

"Yeah, Don. Whatever you need. As soon as we get the guys settled at your house, I'll hook up with our CIA friends." Megan promised. "You have to do something for me too. Okay?"

"What?"

"Promise me that you won't shut us out. You have a team to help with this. Don't be afraid to ask for help."

Don seemed to think about that statement for a minute before he nodded in agreement.

ILOVENUMB3RSILOVENUMB3RS

Charlie didn't realize how tired he was until he climbed out of the SUV. He had every intention of crawling into bed and staying there for at least twelve hours - after finding out what had his brother so spooked. Maybe it was because of his exhaustion that it took him longer than it should have to realize that his vision was graying out around the edges and he tried to look to see where his brother and father were. He thought maybe he had lost his mind because it looked like Don had decided to take a nap on the lawn. He couldn't see Megan or Alan from his side of the car but he suspected that maybe they had decided to nap outside as well. Charlie fell to his knees but was suddenly jerked up by two sets of hands. He couldn't tell who they belonged to because his eyes had decided to close and refused to open back up. A second later all conscious thought slipped away.

To be continued ...

Thanks for reading. I promise that the next chapter is longer and more action packed.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to all of you that are still reading. I appreciate your support.

**Chapter Four**

Every time Charlie tried to open his eyes, the bright lights forced him to abort the effort. He wasn't sure of anything. He thought that he felt some distant pain but he couldn't form a coherent thought for more than a second. Even his numbers had escaped him for the moment.

123456789123456789123456789

Don had been barking orders to his team for ten hours. It had been that long since they had been attacked in the driveway of his family home. Fortunately the fast acting sedative that they had been subjected too had worn off almost as quickly as it had taken them down. He couldn't ignore the feeling in his gut that demanded that he find his brother quickly. None of the others that had been taken had been recovered alive. He was determined that Charlie would be the first.

"Brennan tell me how you tracked down the scientists in Geneva again. There's got to be something that we've missed."

"Eppes, you have got to back off and let us handle this. You cannot take the lead on an investigation that was number one, was initiated by another agency and number two, has become personal for you."

"You can't be serious. Are you forgetting that I happen to know that your brother was shot during the course of this investigation? You have a lot of nerve trying to pull rank here." Don fumed.

"What if I could tell you that I know that your brother is alive."

"What? Are you trying to tell me that you are some kind of psychic?" Don thought for a second. "No. You had agents on him." And then it all clicked. They had used them all. "Tell me where Charlie is Brennan!" The older agent advanced on Michael. "You used him for bait. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"This is bigger than you are. Back off Agent." It was the first show of alpha male that Brennan had displayed since his arrival. "If you will calm down, I have received permission to fill you in."

"Tell me what's happening here." Don shouted furiously. "I want to know where my brother is now."

"Charles Eppes had been abducted by Androssi. This is the plan that was approved by the CIA and by the NSA in conjunction with the FBI." Michael stated.

"There's no way we would approve this. On who's authority?"

"Merrick." Megan put it together.

"We know exactly where your brother is, Eppes. What we hope to accomplish is to find the others that are missing before we retrieve him."

Don couldn't speak, he was in such turmoil over what Brennan had just informed him. He picked up his jacket and headed toward the exit.

"So, you guys let us spin our wheels here for almost eleven hours when you've know exactly where to find Charlie?" Colby looked to Brennan for further confirmation. When he saw Michael nod slightly, Colby calmly walked over to Brennan, and did what all of the others had wanted to do. He punched him and then continued out the door behind his boss. Megan and David followed suite.

123456789123456789123

Sasha had signed herself out AMA when she had spoken to her father and been told of the status of her friend. She had dressed herself and listened to her mother beg her to stay put while she recovered from the side effects of the concussion that had put her back into the hospital. Then she had taken a cab from the medical facility to the FBI offices. She had been very surprised to find Don and his team in a heated discussion in front of the building.

"What are you doing here Sasha?" Megan noticed her entrance.

"I am about to share information with the FBI that will get me terminated from the CIA." She informed them.

"We already know that they allowed Charlie to be taken." David stated.

"Yes. But I am about to tell you how to track where he is." Sasha grinned. "Can we go somewhere private to discuss this? Preferably someplace that has computer access."

"Yeah. I know just the place." Don lead the way.

123456789123456789123456789

"You're hacking into the CIA database?" Don watched over Sasha's shoulder.

"If you have a problem with how I am going to track him down, please go into the other room." Sasha's voice was steel. She felt betrayed by her family and by the CIA. There was no way that she was going to stop before she fixed this. Then she would deal with the personal ramifications of this betrayal. She had already instructed David and Colby on what kind of weapons and ammunition that they would need to complete this rescue mission. They would meet at a secure location in less than an hour.

"Sasha, if you need to talk about – about anything when this is over, I would be happy to help you in anyway that I can." Megan offered.

"I think that when this is over I need to take a long vacation away from everyone." Sasha continued to type furiously. "Thanks for the invitation."

They were all silent for several minutes. Don and Megan watched as Sasha went through pages and pages of data. The next set of images were from satellite feed. After a few more minutes, Sasha had exactly what she needed. "You see that blue dot? That is the location of Charlie Eppes. It doesn't look like they've moved him for several hours. Odds are, we can get in and get him out before they know anything about us being there."

"What makes you say that?" Don questioned.

"This is a medical facility about thirty minutes outside of downtown LA. It's not a secure building."

"Why would they take him to a medical facility?" Megan wondered.

"Brennan didn't tell you? Androssi didn't take Charlie for the same reason as the others. He changed his MO with the last three abductions. Androssi wants his DNA. They want to genetically engineer humans – super humans. Don I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. When I was asked to inject Charlie with the GPS tracking chip, I was told it was just in case he was abducted. I'm sorry."

"I'll tell you what, Sasha, I think we were all played here. There's nothing to be sorry for. Now, let's go get my brother back."

Don and his team were ready to go in less than an hour. They had positioned themselves outside of the building that typically was used for private, long-term care of loved ones. No one would think to look for kidnapped professor of applied mathematics in this beautifully landscaped two story building with the four foot iron cross that decorated the top of the sign.

Colby and Megan were to play the parts of patient and doctor. Megan would pretend to be there to admit her patient for long term physical therapy due to his lengthy recovery from a serious car accident. While they played out their distraction, Don and David would get Charlie out. Sasha would be in contact with all of them through the headsets since she was staked out inside Don's SUV with the computer. She could advise them of the position of everyone inside the facility since she was tapped into the security system.

123456789123456789123456789

Charlie could not remember the last time he had been so miserable. He had thrown off some of the drugs that they had injected him with and now he wished for more. Now that he could think, he was sure they had done medical tests of all kinds on him including a lumbar puncture and several biopsies. There was general pain and discomfort in every part of his body. He needed to get away from here. He needed to not be strapped down to this hospital bed. He needed his brother to rescue him.

Vaguely, he thought he heard a disturbance from somewhere down the corridor. Then he knew he heard the sound of someone falling just outside his door. When he looked to see who had entered his room, he saw the back of one of the large men that he knew had taken him from the driveway of his home. Then he thought he was hallucinating when he saw Don and David enter the room and push the limp body Androssi's goon into one of the chairs.

"Charlie." Don was already trying to get the restraints off of his brother. "Charlie, are you okay?"

"Are – are you real?" It was a soft croak.

"Yeah, buddy. We're real. Just give me a minute and we'll get you out of here." Don turned to his accomplice. "David, help me get him dressed quickly." And then back to Charlie. "I'm sorry Charlie, but we have to hurry. Just let me know if it hurts too much."

"Just get me out – out of here, please." The younger Eppes pleaded. Don didn't miss the haunted look in his brother's eyes. Don hadn't needed further ammunition, but David could have sworn that Don moved even faster after hearing Charlie's plea.

David smirked as he continued to half listen to Megan berating the staff on procedures and lost documentation in the front lobby as he and his companions slipped out of the side door unnoticed by anyone. By the time they got Charlie to the SUV, Megan and Colby joined them. All four of the FBI agents sighed in relief as they departed from the facility's parking lot with the precious cargo secured.

"David, pull over for a minute." Sasha demanded.

"Are you crazy, we need to get him to a real hospital now."

"I need to get the tracking chip out of him before we go any further." Sasha clarified and David obeyed.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Don demanded.

Sasha refused to answer as she pulled out antiseptic and a small scalpel. In seconds, she had the area on Charlie's shoulder bandaged and nodded for David to continue.

"Charlie, Charlie, you can't go to sleep yet." Sasha grew worried as his eyes began to close. "I don't know what they gave you, so you need to stay awake."

"Hurts." He slurred.

"I know." Sasha empathized with him completely.

"Sasha, how much trouble are you in because you helped us?" Don seemed to think about this for the first time since this had begun.

"I'm not in any trouble. After all, I don't know anything about the CIA database being hacked into this afternoon. Nor do I know anything about the anonymous call that you received about where to find Charlie. All I did was come to the hospital after you called to tell me that Charlie was safe. That's why you are going to drop me off at the first bus stop that you come too. Right Agent?" She looked to him for understanding.

"Right."

"Charlie, you be cooperative for the doctors. Okay?" Sasha brushed his hair from his forehead.

" -ll, be good" His strength was all but gone.

"I'll meet you guys there." Sasha got out as David stopped the car.

"Charlie, you heard Sasha, stay awake." Don shook his brother's shoulders. "Charlie come on. Wake up."

"Can't" Charlie informed his brother as he slipped into unconsciousness. Don was worried about the fever that raged through Charlie's body. "This can't be good." He murmured to himself as they closed the distance to the hospital.

TBC

A/N : Sorry about taking so long to post this part. Who knew life at Starbucks could be so crazy. I would like to thank you for all of the positive reviews. You guys rock!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Charlie didn't want company. He had politely invited every one of his concerned visitors to come back some other time. None of them seemed to understand the level of anger and anxiety that he was feeling after such a traumatic experience. Although it had been a full two weeks since the abduction, he wouldn't go back to school. Thus far he had yet to leave his room for much of anything. Alan and Don were very worried about him. It wasn't until Sasha came to say her good-bye that the shell he had retreated into seemed to crack a bit.

"I know that you're not ready to talk to anyone about this and I respect that." Sasha began, "But I want you to know that you can call me anytime. For anything."

"They don't understand, Sasha. I feel so – so violated. They – what they did was so unfair. I never - " He faltered.

"You always wanted to be normal." She finished for him. "You often wonder if the gift that you have is worth all of the paid it's caused you over the years. If it's worth the alienation of your family and friends. What it would have been like to have been popular in school. To have had friends your own age."

"You do know what I'm talking about. Why can't they understand?"

The pain in his eyes almost took her breath away. "They want to Charlie."

"It's not enough."

"You're making me feel like such a heel for leaving LA. I've never wanted to take away any body's pain as much as I want to take yours away right now."

"It's okay. I know that you have to leave. I – I don't have anything to give to anybody right now. Not until some of this – this sense of betrayal goes away."

"You're wrong, Charlie. I know that you're wounded right now, on the inside. I know that you think it's never going to be okay again, but you're wrong. You have family that would do anything for you and friends that would do the same. No, they don't understand what it's like to be abducted, to be tied down to a bed and have things taken from you against your will. But Don and Alan, they will do anything to help you get through this. Let them help you."

"What about the – the samples that they took from me, can they be used for what Androssi intended?"

"Don didn't tell you?" She continued at the negative shake of his head. "Androssi and team were taken down about twenty-four hours after your rescue. It was a joint effort of the CIA and FBI. Seven of the scientists were recovered, alive. And somehow, somehow the samples that were taken from you were destroyed. No one seems to know how it happened."

"I think someone knows how it happened." Charlie gave a small grin. It was his first in two weeks. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I didn't do anything." Sasha insisted. "Sydney Bristow I'm not."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Me? I'm going to travel for a bit. I'm not really sure, but the one thing I do know is that all of the decisions that I make will be for me."

"Travel? Anywhere interesting?" Charlie seemed to perk up a little more.

She could see the wheels in his head spinning. "Charlie, I want you to know that I would enjoy your company, but take at least a week to think this through. Don't run away from here before you let your dad and your brother know that you're okay."

"I understand if you're not interested in me romantically, Sasha. But if you could just give me a chance - "

"Oh Charlie. It's not that at all. I enjoy being with you. You're one of my only real friends. But I think that we're both wounded. Take some time. I'll e-mail you and let you know where I land. I'd be happy to have you as a traveling partner, but not because you're running away from things here."

"I'm sorry. I haven't even considered the betrayal you must be feeling right now."

"You don't have to be sorry. Just be my friend."

"Always."

Charlie watched from his bedroom window as Sasha's rental car pulled away from the curb and drove up the street until he couldn't see it anymore. Then he made the decision to join his father and brother for dinner downstairs. It wasn't a declaration that he was whole again by any means, but it was a sign that he would feel whole again – and that he trusted his family to help get him there.

Thanks for reading.

There was a sequel to the story, however, I don't think I will be posting due to lack of interest.


End file.
